22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 1 His mother 2 was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah, from Bozkath. 22:2 He did what the Lord approved 3 and followed in his ancestor David’s footsteps; 4 he did not deviate to the right or the left.
22:3 In the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, the king sent the scribe Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, to the Lord’s temple with these orders: 5 22:4 “Go up to Hilkiah the high priest and have him melt down 6 the silver that has been brought by the people to the Lord’s temple and has been collected by the guards at the door. 22:5 Have them hand it over to the construction foremen 7 assigned to the Lord’s temple. They in turn should pay the temple workers to repair it, 8 22:6 including craftsmen, builders, and masons, and should buy wood and chiseled stone for the repair work. 9 22:7 Do not audit the foremen who disburse the silver, for they are honest.” 10